Five-year pledge to the AAO Foundation advances research, education, mentorship and leadership that will help shape the future of the specialty
TEMPE, Ariz., October 26, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGN), a leading global medical device company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Invisalign® System of clear aligners, iTero™ intraoral scanners, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software for digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry, today announced a new $1 million, five-year commitment to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Foundation building on the Company’s most recent $1 million pledge made in 2021. The commitment helps fund the Foundation’s mission, including its Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign, which is focused on developing the educators who will train, mentor and inspire the next generation of orthodontists.
“The future of orthodontics depends on the people who teach it,” said Brett Schott, vice president and executive director, AAO Foundation. “Full-time faculty train our residents, lead the research that moves patient care forward, and mentor the leaders our specialty will rely on for decades. Align’s ongoing commitment helps us invest in those educators when the need is real. We are grateful for a partnership that continues to advance the specialty of orthodontics.”
AAO Foundation’s Full-time Faculty Fellowship Campaign, a key component supported through Align’s contribution is a three-year effort launched in 2024 to endow three two-year fellowships for orthodontic faculty at dental schools in the United States and Canada. The campaign builds on the AAO Foundation’s long record of investment in the specialty and is designed to strengthen the pipeline of full-time orthodontic faculty, helping ensure programs have the educators and researchers needed to train future orthodontists and advance the specialty.
Since 1994, the AAO Foundation Awards Program has provided $17.7 million in funding, supporting 297 fellowship awards and 404 research grants. Align’s support helps advance those efforts and underscores its longstanding role as an AAO Foundation Platinum Corporate Partner.
“Most orthodontists can name a faculty member who helped shape them as the clinician they are now. Those educators give so much to this profession, and the AAO Foundation has done remarkable work making sure that impactful legacy continues,” said Frank Quinn, executive vice president and managing director, Americas, Align Technology. “We are honored to help advance the future of orthodontics and the doctors who will be part of it. Supporting this fellowship campaign and the AAO Foundation overall is our way of saying thank you to the faculty who train, mentor and inspire every orthodontist.” Quinn currently serves on the AAO Foundation Board of Directors.